Generic Name: Cequa for Dry Eye Disease (cyclosporine-ophthalmic)
"I was on Restasis for over 10 years, which allowed me to manage my dry eye syndrome. Once I went through menopause, it was like my whole system changed, and the Restasis no longer worked. I then tried Xiidra for maybe a year or so, which also did not work. I was just getting ready to start the autologous tears when my eye doctor said a new drug had been FDA approved a week before and to give that a try. I have been on Cequa ever since, and my dry eyes have been the best they have been for many years. I am extremely happy with it. I have no burning, and I get multiple drops out of each vial. I hated Xiidra because it left an oily film, I guess, on my eyes and affected my vision, and also left a very strange metallic taste in my mouth. I have severe dry eye syndrome. At one point, I had an attack that was so bad I lay on my bed and screamed for 24 hours. So, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for Cequa. I also use an external spray on my eyes twice a day."
"I used Xiidra for about a year, and it seemed to help somewhat, but I could not justify the cost versus benefits. I just tried Cequa. It cost about $67 out of pocket. It made my eyes so much worse. I used it for a few days, thinking that maybe it would take a while to experience results, but I had constant burning and red eyes from it. It’s terrible to try to get through a workday with burning eyes. It’s difficult to focus mentally when all you want to do is lie down and close your eyes with a hot compress on them. Sadly, Cequa did not work for me."
"Just started using Cequa about 1 week ago. My doctor told me to expect burning, which I have, especially at night. I had begun to notice less or no burning in the morning, which did not surprise me. I thought my eyes were closed and less subject to drying. I also noticed the closer I kept to the 12 hours between drops, the less burning, tearing, and running nose I experienced. Also, I have noticed every application I have a slight headache over my left eye. Nothing really painful and doesn’t last very long... maybe 15 minutes. After the burning and excessive tearing stops, my vision is very comfortable all day. There is more burning at night, but again, I think that is from my eyes being open and more subject to drying. I have to say I don’t like putting something in my eyes that makes them burn and water. I have samples to try, so the vote is still out on long-term use."
"I was prescribed this medication by my eye doctor, and after a few days of use, I had severe skin burns on my eyelids, and it caused blurred vision that incapacitated me from doing anything for a couple of weeks. After being treated with steroid medication, I was able to recover. But when I called customer service of the company, their representatives were rude and sent me on the loop, which gave me no support and no refund for 3 months' worth of product I can’t use. Worst customer service I’ve ever encountered. I’ll never use this company ever again."
"I was given Cequa to use after I stopped using Restasis because it burned/stung every time I used it. I don't really see any difference. The Cequa stings and causes my eyes to water all night long, making my nose run as well. Lately, my vision seems to have gotten really blurry, and I am wondering if this is some reaction to the Cequa. My eye doctor told me to stop using it for now."
"I used Xiidra for 3 years and had excellent results until I became allergic to it. Cequa has just come out, and I have been on it for one month. I do not have any pain with use, vials are easy to use. The medication is not costing me a lot of money, just $30 a month. The bad news is that it does not work as well as Xiidra. My eye doc likes what she is seeing, as she thinks it will be a good drug for me, but I still have dry eye symptoms. I am hoping these will ease up the longer I use the drug."
"I used Xiidra for 8 months with no noticeable results other than it drained my bank account. Cequa was just recommended but after reading nothing but negative results, I’m not going to spend $600 a month for 2 drops a day for 6 months to see if it helps. Thanks for the comments!"
"I tried Cequa for three weeks and it did not work for me. At first it started with just the stinging and itching I was warned about, which would gradually subside. But then it actually made the dry eye worse, even if I used a Moisturizing drop 30 minutes before I used the Cequa. One night right before bed I put in the eyedrops and immediately had to rush to the sink to rinse my eyes out with water. I started crying and almost had to go to the emergency room thinking I had permanently damaged my eyes it hurt so bad. I had to rinse my eyes out with saline several times before the pain and severe itching subsided. It was a full day before I could use any other type of eyedrops to help with my dry eyes, which was a nightmare. Thankfully by the second day I was fine again although my eyes were still a little bit irritated and uncomfortable. I’m never using this again."
"I used Restasis for a year and it worked great. It did burn my eyes after putting drops in but it was only about 2/3 min of burning pain that made my eyes bloodshot and tear. After a year I didn’t need the drops anymore, but then I got the COVID vaccine and it flared my dry eyes up immediately. Probably within the week of getting the shot my dry eye was worse than ever. My dr told me to try Cequa. I have been using Cequa for a month and the burning after putting the drop in my eyes at night are much more intense than Restasis ever was. I am going back to my dr see if I should stop but I’m willing to continue for a month or so to see if the burning gets any better. Maybe Restasis was better for me but I guess everyone needs to just try and see what works best for them. Hope this review helps"
"I have been using Cequa 2 times a day for about 4 weeks now. It took 2 full weeks before I noticed good results. I had constant tearing prior to using and this has now resolved. I haven't noticed the burning that so many others seem to complain about. I still have some cloudiness (that is better, too), but that seems to resolve by using Systane drops occasionally during the day. I also use a gel drop in each eye at night. This may seem like a lot of eye drops throughout the day, but it is much more preferable than dealing with the constant tearing. The downside is that Medicare does not cover it. I am finishing up the samples my doctor gave me and have ordered from Canada - much, much cheaper there."
"I was given this for dry eye from LASIK surgery. I had a bad reaction to using Cequa that got worse the more I used it. Headaches, foggy head, my ears felt water-clogged, itchy eyes, sandy feeling in eyes, difficulty breathing through my nose and some puffiness, and increased fatigue. I tried taking it once a day instead of twice a day, and the side effects decreased but still remained and got worse whenever I tried to take it twice a day as directed. I would wake up in the night uncomfortable and unable to fall back asleep. Getting reimbursed by the company was also frustrating. I had to call repeatedly before finally getting through to someone who could guide me through getting reimbursed for the three-month supply I was not able to use."
"I had used Restasis for about 10 years, but over time it gradually stopped working. I tried xiidra, but the first time I used it my eyes swelled up! I was using Lacrisert, but was not having much luck with that either. Then, in the course of my research, I came across Cequa. At this point I was willing to try anything my dry eye is so severe. I have been using it for a week and at day 5 the pain and redness just stopped! So far, this drug is like a miracle for me!!! I pray it continues to work. Thankfully, my insurance company agreed to cover it with a $60 co-pay. Of course, as everyone knows, you get more than one day out of a vial. As if we would just throw it away! Really? LOL"
"Eye twitching - I'm skeptical, especially after reading all the reviews. I can get past the burning, as it's not too bad. It feels like I have a film of medicine or chemical on my eyes. I'm only on 1 week but just noticed my left eye twitching. I searched reviews to see if anyone else has had eye twitching. I see it mentioned in the comments above, but it doesn't mention anywhere in the side effects. So beware of eye twitching, only in the left eye so far. The tugging drives me nuts for two days now. Not sure if I will keep on this medication. I'll be calling my doctor. My co-pay was $89. I get like 6 uses from one vial, so the price is not a concern."
"Used Restasis but MD didn't see remarkable difference, so recommended Cequa. Could not tolerate drug at all. Immediate pain upon putting eye drops in, extreme redness and burning. Received coupon for one month supply so there were no out of pocket expenses. Never went through the insurance process to see if drug would have been covered."
"I have dry eyes after Lasik surgery. This makes my eyes twitch: My ophthalmologist was so excited to prescribe Cequa to me because my insurance covered it...WHY?...$2,000.00!!!! For a prescription...of Eyedrops...For $2000, these drops better have stem cells & give me perfect vision! but, alas, that was not the case. POSITIVES:1. no propylene glycol or polyethylene glycol 2. smoother than regular eye drops 3. Only takes a drop or 2 in each eye per dose NEGATIVES: 1.Individual uses a. I either poke myself in the eye or miss my eye completely b. more than 4 drops are in each vile & are one-time uses, therefore, a lot of waste 2. They burn in the early uses until your eyes either get use to them or are less dry 3. IT MAKES THE EYE LID TWITCH! No where does it say this is a warning or side effect. It started out barely noticeable but by week 3, my left eye was constantly twitching all day long. Stopped using drops and twitch is gone."
"Was given Cequa for my dry eyes. Have been getting plugs but haven't worked as well as I had hoped. Dr. gave me samples of Cequa to try. I have used for about 3 weeks. I knew that they might burn at first. I really wanted them to work. So I was very diligent about 2x day every 12 hrs. My eyes burn so bad still. I either have pain from the burning or my dry eyes. The burning seems to lessen about an hour or so before it's time for the next drops. I tried restasis but didn't work for me either. I guess I will need to just stick with my refresh tears. They don't work very long but they don't burn. 1 kind of pain is better than 2"
"I started Cequa for dry eyes and it seems to help tremendously but I am noticing vision changes where it’s hard to see up close and at night. I never had an issue before. I’m going to stop the drops and tell my Opthamologist."
"I have dry eyes for many years but the last 5 have been the worse .. burning and blurry eyes. I started the Cequa treatment 3 months ago what an amazing difference.. I use a lot less eyes drops, no more burning eyes and my vision is clear. But now I changed jobs and my insurance does not cover this very expensive medication."
"Oh my god, this stuff is incredible. I was diagnosed with Sjogren's two years ago and I have severe aqueous-deficient dry eye. I used Restasis since diagnosis without any luck. I wasn't even done with the second sample pack of Cequa my doctor gave me before my eyes were completely healed. Like, oodles of tears. Reflex tears, the whole shebang. It's like I never had dry eyes. No more gross mucus strings in my eyes. I haven't been able to produce tears since I was diagnosed. I spent $500 on punctal plugs this year and I have to have them taken out! But no complaints since my eyes are back to normal! I wonder if so many people struggle with this because they have evaporative dry eye disease; maybe it doesn't work as well for that, but that's what most people have. Aqueous-deficient dry eye disease is less common."
"I have chronic dry eye and have been using Restasis for many years, which has helped somewhat. My eye doctor recently gave me a sample of Cequa eye drops. After trying them for a few days, I didn't experience any side effects. However, once I opened the vial, the lid did not close like the one for Restasis, and I was unable to reuse the remaining drops. This means that I would have to use two vials per day which seems wasteful. The cost of Cequa is very high and as a senior, I have no coverage and unfortunately, I cannot afford them. I hope that the company takes note of my feedback and makes the necessary changes."
"It is working great for my dry eyes. No burning. My doctor told me to keep it in the refrigerator and use drops cold would keep it from burning. He was right. You do have to administer right away after removing from the refrigerator."
"I do not like cequa. Many people may think this is odd since it’s an eye drop but it’s worsened my tachycardia and I have difficulty urinating in the morning, the pain and burning in my eyes is so bad with the use of this and it hasn’t gotten better I am not using it anymore - not worth how expensive it is."
"I have had dry eye disease secondary to 'probable Sjogren's' (diagnosed by a rheumatologist) for over 13 years. I was on Restasis for many of those years with no real benefit besides making my eyes constantly feel like there were tiny shards of glass in them. I didn't realize that was caused by the Restasis until I switched to Cequa, and that symptom almost immediately disappeared (or maybe it's just that Cequa worked for that symptom whereas Restasis didn't). It was hard to tell if Restasis helped my eyes, but I just continued with it fearing my eyes would worsen without it. I still experience sensitivity to light and secondary blepharospasm, but the Cequa has been a major improvement over Restasis. I have been on it for over 2 years now, and my eye doctor says I have a normal corneal surface now with Cequa, whereas certain areas of my cornea were a bit degraded by my dry eye before."
"I was using Restasis for a year and it was great. Expensive but it worked. Retired and went to Husbands insurance which wouldn’t cover it. Was prescribed Cequa and have been using for 8 months and it’s not working for me. So disappointed. Eyes burn and are red again. Very little relief. Back to using artificial tears again in between Cequa applications. Wish I could get back to Restasis again."
"I have been developing dry eye over the last couple of years and came to a breaking point this past winter. While I was skeptical about Cequa, it has greatly improved how my eyes feel during the day and I notice how my eyes produce their own tears now. I rarely use other drops anymore, and my eyes don’t feel gritty. Some slight stinging in the minute after I’ve put them in, but nothing severe. Can only hope insurance will cover it in the future."
Restasis, Vevye, Verkazia
Restasis, Vevye, Verkazia
